Pattern writing apparatus and pattern writing method

Abstract

Light irradiation is performed on a strip region on a photosensitive material by main scanning of an irradiation region group on the photosensitive material where light emitted from a micromirror group of a DMD is directed and light is applied to a plurality of strip regions partially overlapping in a sub scan direction in turn while repeating the main scanning, to write a pattern on the photosensitive material. When a preceding irradiation region group and a following irradiation region group pass over an overlapping area, a part of micromirrors corresponding to the overlapping area, out of the micromirror group, are made inactivated. As a result, a cumulative passage time in which the preceding irradiation region group and the following irradiation region group pass each position of the overlapping area is shorter than a passage time where the preceding irradiation region group passes each position of a non-overlapping area.

1. A pattern writing apparatus for writing a pattern on a photosensitive material by light irradiation on said photosensitive material, comprising:
 a light emitting part for emitting light to a photosensitive material; 
 an irradiation region moving mechanism for moving an irradiation region group on said photosensitive material, said irradiation region group irradiated with light emitted from said light emitting part; and 
 a control part for controlling movement of said irradiation region group and light irradiation on respective irradiation regions included in said irradiation region group to perform writing on said photosensitive material by applying light to each position on said photosensitive material while passing a plurality of irradiation regions over said each position, wherein 
 light irradiation is performed on a preceding strip region on said photosensitive material by controlling light irradiation on a preceding irradiation region group by said light emitting part and moving said preceding irradiation region group in parallel with a main scan direction, and light irradiation is performed on a following strip region which is adjacent to and partially overlaps with said preceding strip region by controlling light irradiation on a following irradiation region group by said light emitting part and moving said following irradiation region group in parallel with said main scan direction, and 
 said preceding irradiation region group or said following irradiation region group continuously passes each position of a non-overlapping area which belongs to said preceding strip region or said following strip region in a constant time, and a cumulative passage time in which said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group pass each position of an overlapping area between said preceding strip region and said following strip region is shorter than said constant time. 
 
   
   
     2. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said light emitting part comprises a spatial light modulator for applying light to said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group in turn. 
 
   
   
     3. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 said spatial light modulator has a two-dimensional array of a plurality of light modulator elements arranged in a rectangular region and a plurality of regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to said plurality of light modulator elements are arranged in a row direction and a column direction which are perpendicular to each other in a rectangular form, and 
 said column direction is inclined to said main scan direction. 
 
   
   
     4. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 said plurality of light modulator elements are a plurality of micromirrors, orientations of which are individually changed. 
 
   
   
     5. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 a width in a sub scan direction of said non-overlapping area is equal to a length of projection of a side in said row direction of said rectangular form onto a straight line extending in said sub scan direction. 
 
   
   
     6. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 a part of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area, out of said plurality of light modulator elements in said spatial light modulator, are inactivated in writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, 
 irradiation regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to light modulator elements which are activated in writing of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, are said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively, and 
 a cumulative passage time in which said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group pass each position of said overlapping area decreases as it gets away from a border between said overlapping area and said non-overlapping area in the vicinity of said border. 
 
   
   
     7. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the number of elements which are inactivated out of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area is changed in the process of writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region. 
 
   
   
     8. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 a part of said plurality of light modulator elements in said spatial light modulator are inactivated in writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, and 
 irradiation regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to light modulator elements which are activated in writing of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, are said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively. 
 
   
   
     9. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein
 a part of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area, out of said plurality of light modulator elements, are inactivated and the rest of said plurality of light modulator elements are activated. 
 
   
   
     10. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the number of elements which are inactivated out of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area is changed in the process of writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region. 
 
   
   
     11. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said light emitting part comprises two spatial light modulators each of which has the same array of a plurality of light modulator elements and a relative position of said two spatial light modulators is fixed, and 
 said two spatial light modulators perform light irradiation on said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively. 
 
   
   
     12. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein
 each of said two spatial light modulators has a two-dimensional array of a plurality of light modulator elements arranged in a rectangular region and a plurality of regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to said plurality of light modulator elements are arranged in a row direction and a column direction which are perpendicular to each other in a rectangular form, and 
 said column direction is inclined to said main scan direction. 
 
   
   
     13. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 said plurality of light modulator elements are a plurality of micromirrors, orientations of which are individually changed. 
 
   
   
     14. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 a width in a sub scan direction of said non-overlapping area is equal to a length of projection of a side in said row direction of said rectangular form onto a straight line extending in said sub scan direction. 
 
   
   
     15. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein
 a part of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area, out of said plurality of light modulator elements in a spatial light modulator which performs writing, are inactivated in writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, 
 irradiation regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to light modulator elements which are activated in writing of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, are said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively, and 
 a cumulative passage time in which said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group pass each position of said overlapping area decreases as it gets away from a border between said overlapping area and said non-overlapping area in the vicinity of said border. 
 
   
   
     16. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the number of elements which are inactivated out of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area is changed in the process of writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region. 
 
   
   
     17. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein
 a part of said plurality of light modulator elements in a spatial light modulator which performs writing are inactivated in writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, and 
 irradiation regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to light modulator elements which are activated in writing of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, are said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively. 
 
   
   
     18. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein
 a part of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area, out of said plurality of light modulator elements, are inactivated and the rest of said plurality of light modulator elements are activated. 
 
   
   
     19. The pattern writing apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein
 the number of elements which are inactivated out of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area is changed in the process of writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region. 
 
   
   
     20. A pattern writing method of writing a pattern on a photosensitive material by moving an irradiation region group irradiated with light on said photosensitive material and controlling light irradiation on respective irradiation regions included in said irradiation region group to perform light irradiation on each position on said photosensitive material while a plurality of irradiation regions pass said each position, said method comprising the steps of:
 controlling light irradiation on a preceding irradiation region group and moving said preceding irradiation region group in parallel with a main scan direction, to perform light irradiation on a preceding strip region on said photosensitive material, and 
 controlling light irradiation on a following irradiation region group and moving said following irradiation region group in parallel with said main scan direction, to perform light irradiation on a following strip region which is adjacent to and partially overlaps with said preceding strip region, wherein 
 said preceding irradiation region group or said following irradiation region group continuously passes each position of a non-overlapping area which belongs to said preceding strip region or said following strip region in a constant time, and a cumulative passage time in which said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group pass each position of an overlapping area between said preceding strip region and said following strip region is shorter than said constant time. 
 
   
   
     21. The pattern writing method according to  claim 20 , wherein
 a part of a plurality of light modulator elements in a spatial light modulator which performs writing are inactivated in writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, and 
 irradiation regions on said photosensitive material corresponding to light modulator elements which are activated in writing of said preceding strip region and said following strip region, are said preceding irradiation region group and said following irradiation region group, respectively. 
 
   
   
     22. The pattern writing method according to  claim 21 , wherein
 the number of elements which are inactivated out of light modulator elements corresponding to said overlapping area is changed in the process of writing of at least one of said preceding strip region and said following strip region.